Pocket-billiard table.



M. A, ANDREWS. POCKET BILLIA'RD TABLE.

TION Fl-.LED MAR. 4. 1915. ENEWED JAN. 21.!91?.

,APPLICA Patenteai June l2, M37.

l @ff MARION A. ANDREWS, OEYUIll/IA, ARIZONA.

ro'cKET-BII'JLIARD .'.rAianrrA Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12, 1917.

Application filed; March4, 19,15,.Seria14No. .12,155. Renewed January V27,' 1917. Serial No. 144,996.

To all whom t mag/concern:

Be it known that, .1, MARION A.: ANDREWS, a citizen of the United Statesyresi-dingat Yuma, in the .county of Yuma, State of Arizona, have invented new .andl 'useful` 11nprovements in Pocket-Billiard.'lfables, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention lrelates to pocket billiard tables in which KballsA are shot into pockets, and particularly to pocket-billiard tables which are provided with .runwaysleading from the pockets to .a receptacle for the balls.

The main obj ect yof luy-invention is to provide a vpocket billiard ytablewith ,runways which lead from the pockets to a `rack disposed on one end oi' the table in full view, so that the respective scores of .the players may becounted after theinish of a game.

It is anotherobject of my invention to provide a ,pocket billiard table with.` runways leadingy from thepoclets. to a rack, andraI selector mechanism for guidinggthe balls into any givenfplayers compartment. It; isa still further ob] ect of my invention toaprovidel in .apoclet billiard table provided with runways and rack, anelectrically operated selectonmechanism Aand an `indi,- cator, to showl which, players .rack compart- ,ment has been selected, yand thereby to indicate theplayer who is to shoot next.

I ,attain these obj ects, by the yIlflechanisrn illustrated ini-.the accompanying drawing, in 1 which Q;

Figure ..1 is aplanzview of a table provided with imyfirnproved runway-.and rack construction, with parts broken awayto more cleanly show the runway and switch.

Fig.. 2- is a partialvertical; section Athrough the rack. and runway..

Fig. V3 is aviewaofthe solenoid andi operating means` for the selector -mechanism viewed from underneath the table.

Fig-4 lis a ,wiring diagram showing the electrical vcircuits for theselector operating mechanism and indicator.

More. specifically, 5 designates `a pocket billiard table lprovided withethe usual cush- --ion rails V6, 7, 8 andV 9,@andf` provided fw-ith vpockets 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. Eachof the pockets is open at its lower end softha-t a ball' shot into the pocket may .pass through and upona runway connected to the pocket.

Mountedon one end of the .table and partially exposed to view. is a rack 16 having rack runways17, 18, 19,20, 21 and 22 with the sides ofthe runways disposed parallel to the end. ofthe table, so that the balls will lie in horizontal rows therein. Connected at right angles to the rackvrunways 17 18, 19, 20, 21,A and 22 `arerunways 23,24, 25, 26, 27 and 28. Leading from pocket 12 is a runway 29 w-hichdischarges upon a trough pl.ate30and has a gentle incline which gives the ball sufficient speed in its drop, but does not` cause too rapid movement. Leading from the pocket13isa runway 31 also connected. tovtrough plate30 ;y runway 31 being similar to129.`

Connected to the pocket 11 is a runway 32 whichV is spiral in form in-order to give a gentle incline tothe runway since the differencein level between pocket 11 and trough plate 30 vistoo great fora straight trough. The spiral increasesthe length of the trough, thereby providing, a gentle grade.

Leading from pocket 14 is-a runway 33, Awhich ,is similarinsshape to runway 32. Fromend pocket 10,- a runway 34 is connect.- edzto-the-spirall 35, and romend pocket 15 a similar runway 361s connected to the spinalrrunwayn37., Spiralv runways 35 and v37 are connected. to a commouru-nway 38 into which the ballsyare discharged. Balls Apassing along runways 29and 31 are also guided by means of plate 30 into common runway 38.

Pivotallyconnected.at the end of common runway-,38 -is a sw-itch runway 39,-which can be ,adjusted to discharge the billiard vballs into anyone of, the runways 23, 24, 25, 26, 27? ,and `2S. The rack runways 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 .andi 22 haveapertures 40,41, 42,43, 44 and, 45 respectively, large lenough for abilliardfball'to pass through. These apertures areA closed. by -a .slide 46. Disposed below the rack16 is adrawer 47 having a triangle to receive the balls, and which serves as a carrier.-

preferred selector.v mechanism comprisesfa lever-.48 pivoted aty one end 49to Vtrough .30., and. having at. the free end a slotiwithinwhich is disposed apin 50. Pin 50 'iissecured Sto the runway switch 39.

4Mounted adjacent, to the center of lever 48 isa pin 51 :which is engagedbyza cam 52. Cain 52 ris designedto cooperate with pin 51 and. in its movement. connect the runway switch successively with troughs 26, 27, 28, 25,24 and 23;? Ak spring 53 tends to move the runway switch to a position connectingit with runway 26, and the cam 52 isl so designed that after the runway switch 39 is connected with runway 23, the next movement of the cam will allow the spring 53 to return the switch 39 to trough 26.

Cam 52 is fixedly mounted upon a pin carrying a ratchet wheel 54, whose teeth are engaged by a pawl 55 mounted upon a lever 56. Spring 57 is connected to lever 56 and the pawl 55 and holds the pawl in engagement with the ratchet wheel 54. Lever 56 is pivoted at one end 5S and guided at the `Fig. 4, comprises a source of electrical energy 67, which is here shown as a battery of cells, but may be any other device such as an electric l generator or a power circuit.

Connected in series with solenoid 65 is an indicator 68 to indicate the rack runway with which switch 39 is connected. In series with the source of electrical energy 67, indicator "68 and solenoid 65 are a lurality of electrical switches 69, 70, 71 and 2, which are in parallel, and disposed so that the closure of any one of the switches willl close the electrical circuit and allow the solenoid and indicator to be energized. Switches 69, 70, 71 and 72 are preferably push buttons,

as indicated by 73, but may be any other type of electrical switch, and one switch may be disposed upon eachy side of the billiard table.

My runway switch 39 may be operated A manually if desired by means of an operating bar 74 vpivoted on the table at 75 and extending through to the opposite ends of the table. Depending frombar 74 is a link rod 77 which may be engaged in aperture 77 with switch 39. The ends of the bar 74 pass through slots in the ends of the table close to the rail. The slots are vnotched so that the bar may be engaged with a notch, and in such position the switch is connected to the desired runway.

In the operation of my preferred construction, the balls as they are shot into the pockets pass down the runways and are guided by the runway switch into a rack runway which has been selected, thus if the switch is positioned to .guide the balls into runway 26, they will pass out into the players compartment 20 in full view of the players. After the player has finished his shot, the next player presses any push button on the side, the solenoid being energized thereby and retracting the armature 63, pulling with it the lever 56 and moving the ratchet wheel 54, pawl 55 engaging it, thereby moving cam 52 and forcing lever 48 over to connect the switch 39 with the next runway 27. As each player steps up for his shot he presses a button and in this way the switch registers successively with each of the runway troughs 26, 27, 2S, 25, 24 and 23, and after thelast player shoots, the switch 39 on the next closure ofthe circuit by pressing a button is moved by the spring back to the runway 26. Y

After the completion of the game, the balls are counted in the rack 16, being exposed to View, slide 46 is then moved to uncover the apertures 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22, thereby permitting the balls to drop into the triangle in the receptacle 47. Receptacle 47 is then removed to top of table, the triangle with the balls therein positioned on the table, the triangle removed therefrom, and a new game started.

Vhat I claim is:

1. The combination with a pocket billiard table having ball pockets, of a rack disposed at one end of and extending beyond the table suficient to expose all of the balls therein to view, horizontal ball display runways in the exposed portion of said rack, runways leading from said pockets, a selector' mechanism connecting said runways and said rack, discharge means for said rack, and a carrier drawer slidingly mounted below and upon said rack. 1

2. The combination with a pocket billiard table having rball pockets, of a rack disposed at one end of and extending beyond the table sufficient to expose all of the balls therein to view, horizontal ball display runways lin the exposed portion of said rack,

runways leading from` said pockets, a se lector mechanism connecting said runways and said rack, discharge means mounted `on said rack, a ball receptacle detachably mounted on said rack to receive said balls, and means for controlling the passage, of balls into` said receptacle.

3. The combination with a pocket billiard table having ball pockets, of runways leading from said pockets to a common runway, a ball rack provided with independent runways mounted on said table, a swinging runway for progressively connecting the common runway with the independent runs ways, a cam mechanism for moving said swingingV runway, and an intermittent grip device for moving said cam mechanism.

4. The combination with a pocket billiard table having'ball pockets, of runways leading from said pockets to a common runway, a ball rack provided with independent runways mounted on said table, a swinging runway for progressively connecting Vthe common runway with the independent runways, a cam follower operatively secured to said swinging runway, a cam for moving said cam follower, and an intermittent grip device for moving said cam.

5. The combination with a pocket billiard table having ball pockets, of runways leading from said pockets to a common runway, a ball rack provided with independent runways mounted on said table, a swinging runway for progressively connecting the common runway with the independent runways, a lever operatively secured to said swinging runway, a cam follower mounted upon said lever, a cani for moving said cam follower, and an intermittent grip device for moving said cam.

6. The combination with a pocket billiard table having ball pockets, of runways leading from said pockets to a common runway, a ball rack provided with independent runways mounted on said table, a swinging runway for progressively connecting the common runway with the independent runways, a lever pivoted to said table and secured to said swinging runway, a cam follower on said lever, a cam engaged with said follower, a ratchet wheel secured to said cam, a pawl in engagement with said ratchet wheel, means for operating said pawl, and resilient means secured to said lever for retracting it.

7. The combination with a pocket billiard table having ball pockets, of runways leading from said pockets to a common runway, a ball rack provided with independent runways mounted on said table, a swinging runway for progressively connecting the common runway with the independent runways, a pin on said swinging runway, a lever pivoted to said table and provided with a slot in which said pin is disposed, a cam follower' on said lever, a cam engaged with said cam follower, a ratchet wheel secured to said cam, an operating lever pivoted on said table, a pawl mounted on said operating lever and engaged with said ratchet wheel, and a spring secured to the table and the rst named lever for retracting the latter.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 23rd dav of February, 1915.

MARION A. ANDREWS.

IVitnesses A. F. SCHMIDT, BENJ. F. DE CORSE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

